Young Chefs Triumph in Second Heat of Young Seafood Chef of the Year 2019 - UKSeafood

Young chefs from Sunderland College, Newcastle College and Kendal College have secured a place in the final of the 2019 UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year competition after winning their regional heat on Friday 17th of May held at Sunderland College.

Brandon Green, studying for a VRQ level three in Advanced Professional Cookery at Sunderland College, and Katie Falconer, studying for an NVQ level two in Professional Cookery, have secured one of nine places in the competition’s grand final. Brandon and Katie earned their position by preparing a three-course menu of pan-fried fillet of lemon sole, almond milk poached hake and roast fillet of cod, all made using sustainably-sourced seafood.

Joining Brandon and Kate in the final are: Kian Marshall and Benjamin Jackson, both studying for a Technical Certificate level 2 in Professional Cookery at Newcastle College. Kian and Benjamin prepared a menu of North Sea plaice, Scottish hake and Icelandic cod, cullen skink.

The third team to make it through to the final of the competition are Albert Hindson and Sebastian Bloor from Kendal College who showcased to the judges an excellent variety of seafood skills with a three course menu of lemon sole, hake and spiced cod.

The 2019 UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year competition, sponsored by Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry, and run by The Grimsby Institute, offers its participants a platform to demonstrate their flair and skills using sustainable seafood. The competition is open to all full-time and college based modern apprentice chefs under 25.

The successful teams from this heat will now compete against eight other teams of two in front of judges at the final, to be held at The Grimsby Institute, Grimsby, on the 14th of June. This year’s final judging panel includes Daniel Clifford, chef patron of two-Michelin starred Midsummer House restaurant, Cambridge, and two-time winner of BBC Two’s Great British Menu.

One further heat to select the competition’s remaining finalists will be held at Coleg Llandrillo, North Wales, later this month. The Sunderland heat was judged by a panel of professionals headed-up by Ben Bartlett, Master Craft Guild of Chefs and Seafish Chef Ambassador.

Nikki Hawkins, Trade Events Manager, Seafish, said: “Founded in 1996, the UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year continues to uncover incredible talent. The standard of cooking in this heat has been exceptional, with each team impressing us with the skill and creativity in their dishes.

“This competition is highly regarded in the seafood industry. It offers ambitious young chefs the opportunity to demonstrate their ability and confidence in working with a range of sustainable seafood, and the chance to potentially boost their future careers. Today’s winners will now have their sights firmly set on the final in Grimsby, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they have to offer the judges.”

Paul Robinson, Curriculum Manager, Hospitality, at The Grimsby Institute, added: “The road to the UK Young Seafood Chef final is always hard-fought, and an invaluable learning experience for all of the young chefs involved.

“Competitions like this are not only a great way for colleges to show off the skills that their students have been developing and shine a spotlight on the next generation of chefing talent, but also to highlight their students’ knowledge and awareness of sustainable seafood practices.”

The winning team of the 2019 UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year competition will receive a Koppert Cress ‘Cressperience’ trip to Holland, along with a Robot Coupe Robot Cook food processer, £500 per person, a £1,000 voucher that can be spent on Russums catering equipment for their college, a cookbook, a competition trophy, a competition medal and prize certificates. The winning recipes will feature on the Seafood Week 2019 website.